Holiday
by Dorktress
Summary: Two friends on holiday run into the most unlikely pair. "I'm just saying, you don't want to get kicked off the roster because they can't call you The Great White anymore."
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer****: **I obviously own none of this - all WWE universe content belongs to the WWE.

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**Holiday  
**

She fidgeted with the strap of her swimming suit top, pursing her lips in the shabby mirror that was leaning against the wall. She adjusted the front for the hundredth time with a sigh.

"Oh stop it, would you," her friend said, emerging from the bathroom of the hostel. "You look fine. Jesus Christ." She rolled her eyes, throwing a towel at her dark-haired friend. "Faith, if you looked bad, I would tell you. Because I wouldn't want to be seen with you." She grinned cheekily, draping her own towel over her shoulder. "How do I look?"

Faith scoffed. "Aubree, you look great. As always." Aubree came to stand next to Faith, putting an arm around her shoulders with some difficulty. Faith was a good six inches taller than her friend, reaching only to 5"7" though. Aubree was an adorable woman, short with long dark blonde hair and striking blue eyes. She was confident with an air of mystery around her, something Faith could never pull off. She always felt awkward, being so much taller and bigger. She crossed one leg in front of the other, grunting as she scrutinized her large thighs. "I changed my mind. I'm not going."

"Oh shut it. You're going. We are in Cannes, and we are going to the beach dammit." She shoved Faith lightly to look at herself in the mirror. She pressed her breasts together in her navy blue halter top. "I am going to pick up a hot French guy. Just you wait." Faith sighed in response, knowing full well that Aubree probably would pick someone up. She grabbed a sheer zip-up cover and pulled it over her dark green swimming suit with a bandeau top and hipster bottoms. "Ready?" Aubree asked, throwing Faith a look. She slung a bag over her shoulder, packed with their things for the beach.

"Yes," she replied with a pout. Honestly, they really were best friends.

* * *

"Ten minutes from the beach, my ass!" Aubree huffed, throwing their bag down on the sand. "Now I'm too tired to look at all the sexy men."

Faith rolled her eyes. "Really?" She glanced around the beach, surmising that European people were far more comfortable with their bodies than Americans. A group of French men walked by the pair, smirking and elbowing each other as they passed. A particularly handsome man winked at Faith as her breath caught in her chest. She smirked, suddenly feeling a little more confident about the way she looked.

Her friend paid the men no heed as she arranged her towel, preparing to lay down. "I need to rest. Tell me if I'm missing something good." Faith sighed, knowing it would do no good to argue. It seemed ridiculous - she was the one who didn't want to come in the first place, now she was annoyed at her friend's lack of enthusiasm. She put her towel down next to Aubree's prone figure and sat down, stretching her legs out in front of her. At least the view was good.

* * *

"Ha! Are you sure you should be out in the sun, bro?" Matt said, running a hand over his hair as he took in the view. He stumble to the side with a laugh as his companion shoved him roughly.

"Yeah, 'bro', I think I can handle the sun." He narrowed his green eyes. "Yer such a tosser," he muttered. Crossing his arms over his broad chest, he glared half-heartedly as Matt righted himself in the sand.

"I'm just saying, you don't want to get kicked off the roster because they can't call you The Great White anymore." He chuckled to himself. "The Great Lobster wouldn't be as catchy."

"Oi, shove off!" He let his gaze fall over the beach, sighing. "Yer not gonna ruin me holiday." He threw his arm out to the side, smacking Matt full in the chest.

"Ugh! Stephen, shit," he sputtered, doubling over. "This is the last time I'm going anywhere with you." He rubbed his chest gingerly. "Leave it in the ring, bro." He shot a look at Stephen, standing back up and looking over the beach. "Now, seriously, this is a vacation. Let's have some fun." He winked at the tall, pale man next to him and received an eye roll in return. He smirked, still rubbing his chest and scanned the crowds. "Now, here we go," he said, nudging Stephen in the ribs. "Those two, eh?"

Stephen sighed, following his gaze to two girls laying out on the sand. "Really Matt? Yer gonna do that?"

"What? Hit on a couple of hot girls? Yes. Yes I am." He started walking in the direction of the women, glancing over his shoulder at the other man. "More for me then."

"Not likely!" Stephen grunted, jogging a bit to catch up. "Just... don't be a prick."

"What?" he said, feigning offence. "Matt Cardona is not a prick. Zack Ryder, yes, but not me. Shit, I'm just that good of an actor, son."

Stephen stopped walking, tilting his head to the side. "See, right there, yer being a prick." Matt let out a hearty laugh.

"Fine, fine, I'll be good," he said, holding his hands up to show his innocence. "Now come on, before someone else swoops in." Stephen sighed dejectedly as Matt literally strutted up to the women, smiling down at them as he approached.

* * *

Faith narrowed her eyes as a pair of men walked towards them. She nudged Aubree's arm frantically, trying not to look like she was freaking out. It was a trick of the sun or the heat was getting to her. That's all. "Aubree," she hissed, "get up." The shorter of the two stopped just short of their towels, smiling cockily at her. "Now," she added in a whisper, jabbing her quickly in the side.

"Hey there," he said, smirking. Aubree's head snapped up at the sound of his voice, pushing herself up off her towel, all the the while staring openly at the tanned, muscular man before them. Faith glanced towards the second man, her breath catching in her chest. _No_, she thought to herself, shaking her head, _it __can__'__t __be_. He smiled, almost apologetically at her, rubbing the back of his neck with one of his massive hands. "How are you ladies doing? I'm Matt."

Aubree, now up on her knees, held out a hand to him. "Great now," she said boldly, "I'm Aubree. This is Faith." She threw a thumb in Faith's direction. "You have a great tan!"

Faith rolled her eyes. _Leave __it __to __Aubree__, _she thought, amused.

"Ha, thanks," Matt grinned. "Now, the same can't be said for my friend." He nodded his head towards the pale man.

"I'm Stephen," he said in his thick Irish accent. He held his hand out to Faith, which she took hesitantly. He bent down, bringing her knuckles to his lips and kissing them softly. She smiled shyly, flushing as his lips lingered on her skin. "Faith is a lovely name, lass."

"Thank you," she said, breathlessly. She took her hand back, noting the tingling sensations coursing through her body. She turned to look at Aubree and Matt, surprised to find he had settled himself down on Aubree's towel, and they were discussing the likelihood of a good surfing tide. Stephen was lowering himself to the ground as Faith's heart clenched. "Wait!"

All eyes shifted to Faith; Aubree's flashing dangerously, as if to warn her not to screw this up for her. Faith opened her mouth slowly, looking back and forth between Matt and Stephen. She bit down on her lip roughly.

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**A****/****N****:** This is my first go at a WWE universe fanfiction! Look, I know it's unlikely that Stephen Farrelly and Matt Cardona would be friends, but that's what's funny about it. Plus, it's all fantasy anyways, might as well have fun with it. Let me know what you think! I thought I would just keep it short for this first chapter to get a feel for it! Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer****: **I obviously own none of this - all WWE universe content belongs to the WWE.

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**Holiday**

Matt furrowed his brow, watching as the girl shifted uncomfortably and kept glancing at Stephen. He let a sigh out through his nose and looked to Aubree for an answer. The blonde shook her head, but obviously wasn't going to put up with this situation. She reached out and smacked Faith's arm. "What the hell, Faith?"

Ignoring the abuse from her friend, Faith nervously ran a hand through her dark brown hair. "Well," she began, "you're Stephen Farrelly and Matt Cardona!"

"Yes... and?" Matt said, throwing his hands up.

"No," Stephen said, grinning. "That's not her point, fella."

Faith glanced up at him through her lashes, clearly trying to work something out in her head. She threw her hands down in her lap forcefully and threw her head back to look up at the clear blue French sky. "God! You're Sheamus and Zack Ryder! What the hell are you two doing hanging out? In France! And hitting on her!" She pointed at Aubree and Matt.

Stephen let out a laugh. "That's all, lass?" She harrumphed, pouting at him.

"Look, here's a secret," Matt said, leaning towards them. "We're friends." He widened his eyes dramatically. "Right, I know? Who would want to be friends with this guy? Always calling you 'fella' or blinding you with his white ass." Stephen rolled his eyes as he stretched back to lean on his hands. "But we are. Anything else the matter or can we resume our chat?" He winked in Aubree's direction.

"Fine, but this is just rubbing me the wrong way," Faith said, gesturing between the two of them.

"Ha, I"ll rub-"

"What did I say?" Stephen said, throwing a hand towards the back of Matt's head. The New Yorker ducked and grinned slyly at the Irishman. He dove forward, tackling Stephen around the middle and taking him back into the sand.

"Stop hitting me!" Matt said, punching Stephen's shoulder. "We're on vacation!" The red-haired man groaned as he picked up the other man and threw him to the side, back towards his earlier spot.

"I told yeh not to be a prick! Didn't I?" Stephen countered, brushing the sand off of his arms and the places he could reach on his back. Faith smiled slightly, reaching out to brush the sand from his fiery red hair. How lucky for her, she thought happily, a match right in front of her. Although, in all honesty, she didn't want to see _Matt_ rolling around with him. She bit her lip, feeling the blush cross her cheeks. Stephen smiled sheepishly at her, only causing her "problem" to magnify. She began to plot how she would ditch Aubree if the option should arise, but she felt that Matt would probably take care of -

"What the fuck is going on?" Aubree shouted, looking perplexed and glaring at the three of them. Only a brief moment of shock passed before her companions all shook with laughter. "I'm serious!"

Faith, holding a hand to her chest, shook her head. "I'm sorry - ha - really. They're famous, Aubree. They're WWE Superstars." She looked towards Stephen as he covered his chuckle by dipping his head. Never would she have dreamed this would be a reality.

Aubree looked at Matt, who was still laughing at her. "So, you could, like, bench press me?"

"Hell yeah, I can," he replied, quickly laying down on the towel and gesturing for her to climb across his chest. She giggled girlishly as she complied. Faith watched in amazement as Aubree had no sign of self-doubt as one of Matt's hands slid between her thighs to hold her firmly while the other rested on her chest just above her breasts. Well, she could have faced the other direction, Faith thought as Matt brought her down to his chest and pushed her back up. She was going to get something broken! She opened her mouth to protest, but Stephen cut her off.

"Right, well, care for a walk?" Stephen said quickly, standing up and brushing his hand against her shoulder. He put his hand out for her while turning his back towards the other two. Faith put her hand in his, taken back by the warmth that quickly spread through her body. He pulled her up as if she weighed nothing and gestured for her to walk ahead of him. "Don't do anything that will land ya in jail. Both of yeh," he threw over his shoulder before putting his hand on the small of her back. Faith grinned, looking down at her toes in the sand as they walked away. Heart, don't fail me now, she thought as she was certain her heart was beating loud enough for him to hear.

"So, Miss..." he began, as they had made a decent distance from the towels. "Yeh have me at a disadvantage." She raised an eyebrow, looking up at his face. "Yeh know my name, I don't even know that about you."

She laughed. "Sorry. I'm Faith Flanagan." She stopped to put her hand out to him.

"Yer Irish?" he asked, the corner of his mouth smirking. He took her hand in his and leaned down to kiss it again. Twice in an hour, Faith thought, staring at the way his lips pressed against her knuckles. The felt a pull in her stomach as he looked up at her, his lips slowly leaving her.

"U-uh, yes, I suppose I am," she stuttered. She pulled her hand out of his grasp and busied herself with straightening her swimming suit and hair.

"Yeh suppose?"

"Well, it's not like I'm from Ireland. Not like you," she rushed out as she began to walk again. He followed closely behind her, and she would swear she could _feel_ his gaze burning into her backside.

"Where are yeh from?" he said, stepping up beside her with one stride. He looked down at her with intent, causing Faith to blush yet again. It was ridiculous that this man, Stephen Farrelly, even cared to ask her such questions.

Composing herself, she responded, "We're from Chicago, Aubree and I. We've grown up there." She smiled slightly. "We've been best friends since we were four. Our moms worked together, and we always had playdates. Then it was grade school all the way through college. We went to the University of Illinois at Chicago together." She shrugged. "And I know we don't seem to be all that much alike, but we are. She's just a bit more forward than I am. She's just better at it than I am."

Stephen raised an eyebrow. "Better at what?"

"Oh," she said, realizing her rambling. "Uh, this," she motioned between them. She turned her head, looking off towards the water. Maybe if she ran fast enough she could jump in and drown her humiliation before he caught her.

He chuckled. "Yer doing fine. Trust meh." She looked up at him, not sure if she should believe him. She was certainly not known for her eloquent speech, and the skill seemed to be exponentially decreasing in his presence. He smiled genuinely at her and shrugged slightly. "Don't worry about it so much." He reached down and grabbed her hand, pulling her along as he walked forward with purpose. "I saw this place earlier, but I didn't want to show Matt. He is an obnoxious drinker."

"We're going to drink? It's like one o'clock!" Faith exclaimed, throwing the man a disapproving look.

"Are we on holiday or not?" he replied cheekily. He released her hand as they stopped in front of...

"An actual bar? On the beach?" Faith said, shaking her head. She looked around, noting the other beach goers sitting on stools at the bar. Luckily there was wooden flooring going around the entire bar, or it would not have worked as well in the sand. It honestly reminded her of a kiosk back home; something you would see in a mall, sans the liquor of course. The back wall was filled with every liquor bottle you could think of, granted she was not much of a drinker so her list would be short. There was a tall wine cooler at the end of the counter, which Faith mused would be expected. It was France after all.

"Great, isn't it?" He smiled, and she was positive she had stopped breathing. Even though he was not as styled as he was on TV, there was no doubt this was her Sheamus she watched every week. His facial hair was trimmed short, but still in the same iconic style. It would have looked ridiculous on anyone else, Faith thought. His hair was not spiked but hung loosely, looking rather shaggy. As his smile grew when he noticed her intense gaze, a dimple appeared at one corner of his mouth. "Faith?"

"W-what?" Damn this blushing, she thought, turning away to look at the list of wines. "Yes, great."

He smirked. "Well, what would you like?" A bartender appeared in front of them, nodding to Stephen.

"The pinot noir," she said, pointing to the list of wines. Faith knew very little about wine or the French language, but she thought it said something about being made locally. The bartender nodded, reaching for a wine glass that hung above them and turned to Stephen for his order.

Faith noticed a blonde woman at the other end of the counter staring at Stephen, and she instantly felt a pang of jealousy. She wasn't entirely listening as Stephen order some sort of lager, and again, the bartender simply nodded and walked away. The woman was to Stephen's back, so if he noticed he gave no indication, but Faith could not tear her eyes away. She twisted a finger in her hair, knowing for sure if he saw that other woman he would leave her there, alone with her wine. The blonde was far more attractive. In every way possible, Faith thought bitterly.

"What's the matter?" Stephen said, dipping his head so he was in her line of vision. "Lass?"

"Nothing," she said, looking away from him (and the other woman). She smiled weakly at the bartender as he placed her wine in front of her. Picking it up, she smelled it first before taking a sip.

"Mhmm," Stephen said, raising an eyebrow. He really shouldn't do that, Faith thought. He looked far too sexy. "I rather like the honesty we had going."

She rolled her eyes. "That woman is staring at you," she sighed, nodding her head in the other direction. He surprised her by simply shrugging and did not even turn to look.

"So? People look, love. Yeh get used to it." He put his large hand on her arm, rubbing it gently as if to soothe her. "Anyways, I am with ya. I have a beautiful woman to look at already."

"Oh nonsense," she blurted out, not even giving herself time to register what had just occurred.

He laughed at her outburst. "Yeh are. Yeh don't think so?" He brushed a strand of hair back from her face to tuck it behind her ear. Stephen smiled sweetly, waiting for an answer.

"No. I'm plain, and boring." She took another drink of her wine, taking more than she had intended. She suddenly felt flustered as he continued to stare at her.

"I disagree. But thank ya for being honest with meh." He took a drink, watching her over the rim of his glass. "Now, let meh be honest with yeh." She looked up at him at that, shuddering against the look he was giving her. "Yer gorgeous, and part of what makes yeh even more beautiful is that yeh don't even know it." She felt like her skin was on fire as he scooted closer to her. She tried her best to ignore his proximity. She faced forward, trying to read the names of the bottles she did not recognize. Anything for a distraction. Faith swallowed the large lump growing in her throat and shakily took a sip of wine. "And," he said, lifting his hand to turn her face towards him, "I wasn't hitting on yer friend." She furrowed her brow. "That's what yeh said, that we were there to hit on her." He smiled, leaning towards her. "I wasn't."

This was it; she was going to die from a heart palpitation on a beach in France. That is what her obituary would read. She bit her lower lip, wanting desperately to look anywhere but at his looming face, but his hand still firmly held her towards him. Her eyes widened, certain she had heard him... growl?

"Yeh shouldn't do that," he said, huskily. His lips were inches from hers, and her eyes were watering he was so close. She had no idea what he was talking about at that point; she could not mentally register anything but the thousands of sensations running rampant. She let a small whimper escape her throat, and it was likely she was going to draw blood on her lip.

Stephen's lips crashed down on hers in a rush, and he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, holding her to him. She gasped, closing her eyes in reaction and nearly falling off of her stool. He moved his lips roughly, his tongue running over the lip she was still holding between her teeth. She opened her mouth in surprise, and he nipped at her lip gently. A sigh left his mouth, flooding Faith with the smell and taste of lager and something that could only be described as him. He wrapped his other hand around her waist, thankfully holding her steady. She very hesitantly kissed him back, moving her lips against his. He responded enthusiastically, and Faith felt like she was going to be engulfed.

She tried to stop herself but she couldn't. A giddy smile was slowly spreading across her face as Stephen's lips were still on hers. He pulled away, looking amused. "What?"

"That just happened," she mused, bringing a hand to her plump lips.

"And it still would be if yeh hadn't stopped," he said, smirking at her. He leaned back in to nip at her fingers as she laughed, swatting at him with her other hand.

Meanwhile, the blonde ordered another shot and sulked bitterly.

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**A****/****N****:** Thank you everyone so far for the reviews, alerts, and favorites. :) I greatly appreciate it. Let me know what you think of the installment.


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